Help!: Discoloured grout

[suet]

Hi Can anyone help me with two seperate problems.

In my kitchen I have had laid dark grey Eagle polished porcelain tiles. unfortunately the tiler used a very pale grey grout which is quickly becoming discoloured .( I have a dog) Is there a product such as a dye on the market that could be applied over this grout to darken it. Also the tiler used the same grout around the edges where the tiles join the woodwork. Is this common practice?This is starting to crack - should a silicone sealant be used instead?
I would really be grateful for any help as my lovely new floor doesnt look new anymore.

In my bathroom I have a matt dark grey tile on the shower wall and floor. A black grout was used which looked lovely.However,after a week or so this started to fade very unevenly despite my using only water to wash the tiles with . My tiler was bemused, asked around and was told that salts from the tiles were seeping into and fading the grout. He then applied linseed oil onto the grout which worked for a few weeks but now the problem is reappearing. Any suggestions would be great. Many thanks.

Suet

[Bri]

Try some of this Tradetiler Aqua MIx Grout Colorant

[Brinkley]

your tiler should have used a sillicone sealant around the perimeter of the floor.
you can get a grout colourant by aquamix to darken the grout and also colour match that to a sillicone , but you must remove all the exisisting grout around the edges as the sillicone needs to stick to the tiles and not the cracking grout

[Brinkley]

you could also use , once you have rectified the problem a grout sealer ltp do a very good one which you spray on at a good price and very easy for anyone to do

[suet]

Thanks Brian,
Really nice of you to reply so soon
I will look into this.
Suet

[suet]

Thanks Brinkley
will do- just learning how to use this site: never even been on facebook before!

[suet]

Thanks Brinkley, think I will try asking the tiler to come back and redo the sealant as it was only done the week before christmas. Fingers crossed.

[Rich]

All good advice above

We are better than facebook

[suet]

Yep,
starting to understand why my daughter spends so long on facebook- dont think she will find it so cool to hear her mum ischatting on a tilers forum tho.

[Rich]

Are you saying that we are not cool?

I can think of worse sites for a mother to be chatting on.

[suet]

Ok ,my 12 year old thinks this is funny- but im sure you are all very cool.
Anyone got any ideas about my dodgy bathroom grout? Shall i just keep putting the 50/50 linseed oil and white spirit on?

[Rich]

I may be wrong here but I dont think that it is salts from your tiles. I think that it is prob shampoo/shower gel that is dicolouring the grout. Dark grouts show this up badly. Your best bet would be to clean the grout with a good grout cleaning product, Rubi, LTP and lithofin do on. Then when the grout is clean, treat it with a grout guard to protect it.

[Dave]

Hi..

What you need to do is clean the grout with a grout cleaner..

This is good :


LTP Grimex

Description: LTP Grimex is the answer to stubborn grime, old layers of wax or acrylic and even rubber sole marks on terracotta and natural stone flooring. Suitable for use on glazed and unglazed tiles, this product is excellent for renovating old quarry tiles, terracotta, slate, stone, marble and stone fireplaces.

Tips: Pick this product if you have stubborn dirt and grime, greasy films, dirty grouting, old layers of acrylic sealers and wax, rubber sole marks on glazed ceramics and porcelain, old and tired looking tiled floors, soot marks on stone fireplaces...

Technical Data Sheet (PDF)




Then you can seal the grout with a sealer and make it easier to maintain






LTP Grout & Tile Protector


Description: A colourless barrier that helps to protect porous wall and floor grout joints from penetration by water,dirt,oil,grease and limescale, making treated surfaces easier to keep clean. Ideal for use in wet rooms and shower enclosures. Used as a top coat this product is an easy way to further protect natural stone and all other types of masonry surface.

Tips:

Technical Data Sheet (PDF)

[Dave]

Both are available from any Tile Giant store or on line direct from LTP..

[suet]

I think thats what my tiler also suggested at first but ishampoo etc wouldnt account for the same problem on the bathroom floor. However will try the cleaner that Dave suggests.

[Dave]

Once you have cleaned it, you can try Ebay to get hold of some Aqua mix enrich and seal.. this will darken the grout and stop the regular cleaning..??